THE PARK OF TITANS, CARMAUX

At Carmaux, not far from Albi in the Tarn, France, coal was mined since the 13th century. It is in the 19th century that mining took their rise and Carmaux Mining Company employed 3,000 people and extracted 500.000 tons / year of coal at the end of the century. The modernization of the 20th century made it possible to further increase the production, but at the end of the 50s began a slow decline accompanied by numerous strikes. The last well, the one of La Tronquié, at Blaye-les-Mines, closed in 1987.

The operation of an open pit mine, rare in France, began on the site in 1985 and ended in 1997. The crater of the 'Discovery' of the old mine, spread on the towns of Blaye-les-Mines, Cagnac- les-Mines, Le Garric and Taix, formed an amphitheater of 1300m diameter and 230 m deep.

During the conversion of the site, it was decided to develop a multi-recreational park : Cap Découverte, opened in 2003. Leisure, varied sports, music, seminars, group trips were to draw crowds. It did not happen.

But here, there is the Titan Park, Exhibition Park of mining machinery of the former open pit mine. A huge bucket wheel excavator, from which the extracted ore was transported on a conveyor belt following the convoy to the storage site, is exposed. There are also hydraulic and / or electrical excavators and rigid dump trucks to transport the ore. Obviously, the park is open air and exposed gears rust.

Pictures, royalty free, were taken by J M Maclou on July 23, 2015 at Carmeaux. They are in almost chronological order.